Irrigated Farming

Residents and orchardists in the Perth Hills have raised concerns about thousands of litres of water extracted from a bore on a private property by Coca-Cola Europacific Partners for its bottled water products.

There are fears that injecting liquefied CO2 into a freshwater reservoir that underlies almost a quarter of the continent could contaminate the water supply for more than 180,000 people.

A court found the conduct was "intentional" and formed part of "planned or organised criminal activity" to tap into a pipeline and steal 365 megalitres.

After the Productivity Commission declared Australia's overarching water policy document outdated, the federal government has revealed the details of its National Water Initiative overhaul.

Water is critical to running a successful farm and these 14 Tasmanian farmers have found a way to make sure they won't struggle obtaining it again.

The NT government has reduced the amount of water industry can take during the wet season in a policy that has support from recreational fishers and farmers.

Australia's Water Minister Tanya Plibersek has completed the first Commonwealth water buybacks in the Murray-Darling Basin since 2020.

Victoria's planning minister stuns farmers by ruling out a plan to save 1,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools worth of water in the Murray Darling Basin, saying it could harm important native vegetation.

Its water creates a home, a playground and a food bowl – but those who live on the Murray believe it can be managed better. We take a look at life on Australia's longest river.

From time immemorial, the river that runs from the hills of the east Kimberley to the mouth of King Sound in Western Australia has been the setting of stories and events that have shaped the country. But now it's the subject of much discussion.

Victoria's floodplain restoration projects have stalled after the state and federal governments reached a stalemate over the Murray-Darling Basin Plan.

The Commonwealth will have a green light to enter the water market and buy irrigation water from farmers to boost the environment, with the Albanese government securing the numbers to re-write the Murray-Darling Basin Plan.

SA irrigators are concerned about the impact of the new Murray Darling Basin plan for voluntary water buybacks, that will see hundreds of gigalitres returned to the environment.

Dredgers at the River Murray mouth were halted for the first time in six years when floodwaters arrived in 2022. But now they're back in action in what irrigators and scientists see as an unfortunate necessity in this unique ecosystem.

The government has struck a deal with the Greens that could see more than 700 gigalitres of water used for farming each year, allocated to the environment.

A year ago their paddocks were under water, but now the McClures are harvesting hectares of oats, having used flooding to their advantage.

Farmers have blocked NSW streets with tractors to protest water buybacks but some continue to support them, as an academic claims they are three times cheaper than saving water through infrastructure projects.

Irrigators who have for more than a decade been fighting "death by 1,000 cuts" water buybacks say it won't just be those on farms who are hurt by proposed changes to the Murray-Darling Basin Plan.

The Italian company behind Ferrero Rocher and Nutella is giving up on its farm in southern NSW saying the long-term climate is not conducive to hazelnut farming.

As the federal government's proposed changes head to debate in the Senate, a committee has backed the use of buybacks to meet recovery targets, and called for more scrutiny of water-saving projects, and greater First Nations involvement.